I came across an interesting post on the difficulty US-centric social networks like Facebook and Twitter have had gaining traction in China.
The things that have drawn audiences to Facebook and Twitter in droves in the US don’t have the same pull in the world’s most populous country, as China counts only 400,000 Facebook users and minimal Twitter activity due to government censorship.
That doesn’t mean social networks don’t have traction in China. Many China-based social networks have tens of millions of uses, and appeal to them by offering applications and services that are tailored to the preferences of Chinese Internet users.
The post raises the important point that the usage difference is not completely a function of the government intervention, but also of cultural nuance. For example, fortune-telling applications are wildly popular with Chinese social network users, as are Bulletin Board Systems, which haven’t been used widely in the U.S. since the 1990s.
But what do differences in social media behavior in the U.S. and China have to do with social media usage by US small businesses?
I think the understanding of regional and generational usage patterns is an absolutely crucial element of successful social media presence development. Contemplating the customers you want to reach and their Internet habits puts you one step closer to meaningful connections on the social web.
Crafting messages with the right audience in mind prevents your business from making the mistake of selling fortune-telling applications in the U.S. while promoting real-time communications in China. Mis-marketing in social media is costly and frustrating, and expending time and effort with no demonstrable gain can lead to the impression that social media interactions have little value.
Failure to grasp the underlying differences between usage patterns by 20-year olds and 40-year olds, for instance, leads to “mis-marketing.”
Though sending the right message to the wrong person is bound to happen on occasion in any new messaging channel like social media, considering current social media trends and how they impact and intersect with larger business goals will minimize such waste.
- Pete
